Lawful Development Certificate in Merton from £575
Wimbledon, Mitcham, Morden and Merton Park: Merton guarantees a 10-day decision on a fast-tracked certificate and refunds the fee if it misses.
£575 £425 drawings + £150 survey (£575 total), no VAT to add
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The short answer
Merton’s fast track service covers householder lawful development certificate applications for proposed development at £250, on top of the application fee. It guarantees a decision within 10 days of validation, and refunds the full fast track fee if the council misses its guaranteed times, unless the delay was outside its control. You pay Merton directly, not via the Planning Portal. Our fee is £425 drawings + £150 survey (£575 total), no VAT to add; the council’s fees are separate.
Permitted development drawings and Lawful Development Certificate
from £575
- Drawings
- £425
- Measured survey
- £150
- Total you pay
- £575
- VAT
- None to add
- A measured survey of the house, so the drawings show your property and not a template
- Existing and proposed plans and elevations drawn to show each permitted development limit being met
- A check of your address against Merton’s conservation areas, including the John Innes directions
- Drawings that match the application exactly, because Merton does not allow amendments on a fast track
- The application and the fast track payment arranged for you
£425 drawings + £150 survey (£575 total). A starting fee: we confirm one fixed figure after checking your address. The council’s own fee, where there is one, is paid to the council.
Get my fixed feeHow a Merton certificate runs
Rights check
We check the John Innes directions and the conservation area list against your address.
Survey
We measure depths, heights and distances to the boundaries.
Drawings to the rules
Each sheet states the limit it tests, with the 45 degree line the checklist asks for.
Apply
We submit, and the fast track fee is paid within a week of validation if you want it.
Merton’s guarantee, and its conditions
Merton lists the fast track for householder certificates of proposed development, and it does not offer it for listed buildings. The £250 fee must be paid directly to the council no later than one week after validation, and an application cannot be amended once submitted. A late payment or a submission error removes the refund.
For example, a Wimbledon owner with a builder due on a fixed date can ask for the fast track, and if the council misses the 10 days the £250 comes back.
John Innes, Article 4 and validation
Merton Park’s John Innes conservation area has Article 4 direction No 1 from 1986, No 2 from February 1990 and two Article 4(2) directions from July 2007, and a second immediate Article 4 direction on small HMOs, made on 24 March 2026, covers 13 wards. A certificate cannot be granted for work whose right has been removed, so we check your address first.
Merton’s CIL for permissions granted in 2025 was £359.92 a square metre in Colliers Wood, Raynes Park and Wimbledon and £188.14 in Mitcham, Morden and West Barnes (the 2026 summary was not out when read), on 100 square metres or more of new floor space, so a typical certificate project is outside it. Merton’s Local Validation Checklist, updated in June 2026, asks for a fire safety strategy or exception statement on householder applications and a 45 degree line from the nearest habitable window on proposed plans.
Certificates in Merton in numbers
303 of 406
Householder decisions by Merton Council between July 2025 and June 2026 (prior approvals left out) that were made inside 8 weeks.
Source: MHCLG live table PS2, district planning application statistics, July 2025 to June 2026 (GOV.UK)
£250
Merton’s fast track fee for a householder lawful development certificate, on top of the application fee.
Source: Get a quicker planning decision: fast track service (Merton Council)
10 days
Days from validation within which Merton guarantees a decision on a fast-track proposed certificate.
Source: Get a quicker planning decision: fast track service (Merton Council)
3 days
Days within which Merton guarantees validation of a fast-track application.
Source: Get a quicker planning decision: fast track service (Merton Council)
Refund
Full refund of the fast track fee if Merton misses a guaranteed time, unless the delay was outside its control.
Source: Get a quicker planning decision: fast track service (Merton Council)
Pay direct
The fast track fee is paid to Merton directly, not through the Planning Portal.
Source: Get a quicker planning decision: fast track service (Merton Council)
1986
Year of John Innes (Merton Park) Article 4 direction No 1, followed by No 2 in February 1990 and two Article 4(2) directions in July 2007.
24 Mar 2026
Date of Merton’s second immediate Article 4 direction on small HMOs, covering 13 wards.
Source: Article 4 directions removing permitted development rights (Merton Council)
45 degrees
Proposed plans and elevations must show a 45 degree line from the nearest habitable-room window to the development.
Source: Local Validation Checklist for all applications, December 2024, updated June 2026 (Merton Council)
Questions about certificates in Merton
What if Merton is late?
The full £250 fast track fee is refunded, unless the delay was outside the council’s control, such as late payment or a submission error.
Where do I pay the fast track fee?
To Merton directly, within a week of validation. It cannot be paid through the Planning Portal.
Can I change the drawings after submitting?
No. A fast-tracked application cannot be amended once submitted, so the drawings must be right first time.
Do I still need building regulations?
Yes. A certificate covers planning law only.
Put it in writing before you build in Merton
Send the address and what you plan. We reply with whether it fits permitted development and a fixed fee, from £425 drawings + £150 survey (£575 total).